Thursday, October 30, 2008

Suisun City residents are encouraged to show extra caution when driving through City streets on Friday night as our children celebrate Halloween.

Two great ways to celebrate the annual trick-or-treat holiday are

The 57th Annual Suisun City Costume Parade and Contest. Sign-up starting at 4 p.m. for the parade and judging at Driftwood and Main Street then enjoy the festive 5 p.m. trip down Main Street to Harbor Plaza for awards and candy. This free family tradition is great for all ages!

The Solano College Theatre is putting on "Spooktacular" - a terrific haunted house inside the historic Lawler House at 718 Main Street, between the Harbor Theater and Harbor Square. The haunted house runs 5-6:30 p.m. as a G-rated family event, and 7-10 p.m as PG-13 fun for the thrill-seekers. $5 admission, $2 if you come in costume.

Follow these tips for a safe Halloween:

Try to use face-makeup rather than masks to allow for maximum vision

Drive more slowly, particularly on residential streets, watching for children running into traffic or acting erractically

Provide children who are trick-or-treating with lightweight flashlights to navigate darkened streets

The crew was in town for several hours before they headed off to other parts of the Bay Area to continue their work.

Now before you start asking all your friends and neighbors if they were involved: None of the principals involved in the episode were from Suisun City.The crew phoned Fire Chief Mike O'Brien late Tuesday asking if the Fire Department would put one of the show's participants through the paces. With the opportunity to put Suisun City on a nationally televised entertainment show - and the requisite high level conversations - he quickly said, "Yes."

Chief O'Brien, Captain Greg Bounds and Lt. Greg Renucci put them through the paces of putting on 45 lbs. of fire gear at the firehouse before taking them to the Waterfront District to practice handling a live fire hose with 125-pounds of pressurized water pouring from the nozzle. We even paused by the recently painted water tower for general shots of the fire truck rolling by.

We have no idea yet when the episode will air or how much of the Suisun City footage will survive the editing process. We'll be sure to keep you posted when we find out because we're sure everyone is going to want to see this!

But at least for a few hours today, Hollywood was right here in Suisun City and we did our best to make sure we offered a good close-up.

The silt and mud collected in the Suisun City Marina over the past 6 years will be sucked out in a dredging project that is expected to start Nov. 17.

The Suisun City Council unanimously awarded the $1.3 million project to Roy G. Garren Construction of Roseburg, Oregon, the lowest of three bidders who showed interest in the Suisun City job. The bid came in more than $300,000 lower than the engineer's estimate for the work.

The City Council met in a special meeting Tuesday to consider the contract because of the short window set by state and federal environmental regulators as to when dredging in the environmentally sensitive Suisun Slough can be conducted. Regulators limit any dredge work to the fall months to avoid peak spawning seasons for various species that make their home in the Suisun Marsh.

Improving the marina and keeping it suitable for a wide variety of boats is essential to the economic health of the Waterfront District, and the viability of the Solano Yacht Club, which routinely draws fellow boaters from across the Bay Area to Suisun City.

"It is a critcal asset that is more important than ever as we work hard to attract new restaurants and businesses to Harbor Square, solict new ventures to four remaining waterfront sites, and market to visitors to come and stay at our soon-to-be-opened waterfront hotel - all occuring during more than challenging economic times," said Recreation and Community Services Director Mick Jessop.

The dredging project will involve two dredgers working seven days a week for 18 hours each day to move 120,600 cubic yards of siltation from the marina to Pierce Island. The project includes the Marina Village marina area for which homeowners pay an annual assessment.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

If you can't find some way to celebrate Halloween in Suisun City this year, you aren't trying very hard. In fact, you would have to work pretty hard to avoid some great new events for this Halloween season!

The new Suisun City Library is celebrating its first Halloween with a night of family fun from 6-8 p.m. Thursday. This children-oriented event will feature a costume parade, stories, crafts, a haunted house and photo booth. A great new community tradition for Suisun City families at your library!For the first time, Solano College Theatre is presenting "Halloween Spooktacular" at the Lawler House! The Theatre converted the venerable farmhouse into a haunted mansion that will be open for very special - and scary - tours from 5-10 p.m. Thursday & Friday! The tours are G-rated family friendly from 5-6:30 p.m. But after 7 p.m., the scare-factor goes PG-13 and isn't for the faint at heart!

The Halloween Spooktacular is $5 per person, $2 if you wear a costume.

Plan to join the 57th Annual Costume Parade and Contest sponsored by the Suisun City Firefighters Association. This is the grand-daddy of all Suisun City Halloween events with hundreds of costumed children, teens and adults parading down Main Street. Sign-in for judging at Driftwood Drive and Main Street starting at 4 p.m. Friday with the parade starting at 5 p.m.

December 1, 2008 Update:Officer Rubio resigned his position with the Suisun City Police Department for personal reasons in early November, and is no longer an employee of Suisun City.

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On Oct. 16, Suisun City Police Officer Engelberto Rubio Jr. began a 30-day unpaid administrative leave after the Suisun City Police Department learned of impending child abuse charges in Colusa County, his county of residence.

Rubio surrendered to authorities on Oct. 22 in Colusa County on allegations of felony infliction of corporal injury upon a child and misdemeanor child endangerment charges.

"This is a very difficult situation for the Suisun City Police Department, as it is with any employer," said Public Information Officer Scott Corey. "We can't control what happens to our employees during their off-duty hours. Obviously, we expect them to conduct their affairs in a lawful and ethical manner."

Rubio was hired approximately three months ago and was in the midst of an 18-month probationary assignment standard for all newly hired Police Department employees.

When the Colusa County District Attorney's Office contacted the Suisun City Police Department earlier this month to notify officials regarding the allegations, Rubio was removed from street patrols and assigned to administrative duties.

On Oct. 16, the Colusa County District Attorney Office indicated there was sufficient evidence to bring charges. Rubio began an unpaid leave to provide time to resolve the matter.

If the charges are not resolved during his leave, Rubio may either resign or be terminated from his Suisun City employment.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The newest link in Suisun City's expanding recreational trail system was officially opened Thursday in a small Pintail Avenue ceremony.

The $300,000 McCoy Creek Bikeway provides an important new access for residents in the heart of Suisun City's residential area directly to the Sunset Avenue shopping hub. The dedicated bikeway allows children, seniors and families a safer way to use non-polluting alternative transportation options.

The McCoy Creek Bikeway runs from Pintail Avenue to the Central County Bikeway, a 2-mile long Class I bike path that runs along the north side of Highway 12 from Walters Road to Marina Boulevard. By connecting to the Central County Bikeway, the 0.6-mile McCoy Creek link allows residents to easily reach

Sunset and Heritage Park Shopping Centers

Lawler Ranch commercial area

Lambrecht Sports Complex

Residential neighborhoods

Local schools

City parks

By the first of the year, pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to access the Waterfront District with its Amtrak Station, Marina, Promenade, dining, shopping, and outdoor activities using a continuous recreational trail that won't require a single crossing of Highway 12. An extension of the Bikeway from Marina to the Waterfront District Amtrak Station is now under construction.

The newly opened trail along the west side of McCoy Creek is the first phase of a trail that will be extended north along the creek to Blossom Road. Plans call for the bikeway to extend all the way to Railroad Avenue. City staff is pursuing grant funding to complete these projects.

Suisun City's efforts to select a new operator for the former YMCA facility on East Wigeon Way at Pintail Drive continues to move forward.

Following City Council direction this week, City staff and the appointed City Council ad hoc committee will begin discussing financial and other deal points terms with the two finalist operators to determine all potential costs and obligations associated with reopening the facility.

Five community members - primarily former members of the North Bay YMCA - are part of the review process and serve on a Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC). Those members are John Miller, Robin Underwood, Robert Watts, Ruth Forney and Brad Stanhope.

With input from the CAC, Ad Hoc Committee and City staff, six interests that the City should be looking for in a replacement operator were identified. They are:

Commitment to have a safe place for kids when school is closed.

Commitment to partner with other community groups for facility usage.

Maximize program access to members of the community regardless of their ability to pay.

Pool operations.

Basketball court usage.

FitnessCenter – Machines & free weights.

Based on those six interests, the Ad Hoc Committee reviewed the proposals and invited five operators to an interview. Staff and the Ad Hoc Committee conducted the interviews and then pared it down to the top two candidates.

Those two candidates were invited to a second interview where the Ad Hoc Committee and Citizen's Advisory Group conducted a more in-depth discussion/interview.

The Council Ad Hoc Committee then visited each candidate's local facility. These interviews focused on the programs and services that the operators propose to bring to SuisunCity.

To date, the focus of the process has been on services, programs and general financial capability. As directed, staff will continue to diligently move forward with the financial discussions with the top candidates.

We appreciate the patience of everyone committed to this process as staff and City Council work through this selection process.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

SUISUN CITY — Residents should be alert for a fund-raising scam purporting to be raising money for the “Suisun P.A.L.”

The Suisun City Police Department was contacted on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, in reference to a group of individuals soliciting monetary donations for the Suisun P.A.L. or Police Athletic League.

“The City of Suisun City does not sponsor or participate in a Police Athletic League and has not requested assistance with fund-raising from any organization or group,” said Police Operations Commander Tim Mattos.

The Police Department urges anyone who is contacted with a request to donate money to “Suisun P.A.L” to obtain any contact information from the solicitor, and notify the Suisun City Police Department at (707) 421-7373.

DJSA Grand Pooba Jim Lambert, who didn't recognize this car racing 'rookie,' gave him the full personal watercraft safety rundown, warned him to be careful so he'd make it to work on Monday and made him wear a rookie ribbon to warn the more experienced racers. He even came up with a funny nickname for the rook!

Only after he'd placed 3rd in his division did Gidley give Lambert an autographed photo and thanked him for the great day.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Center keeps older adults plugged into a social network and lifestyle, particularly during the upcoming holiday season, when isolation and loneliness can be particularly acute.

The Center staff and volunteers serve Thanksgiving Day dinner to about 200 people. About the same number are expected for the Dec. 20 Christmas luncheon. Center Director Karen Mickens is rallying community support to make these vital community events possible, a task made all the more challenging with recent economic challenges

"This is something our members have been asking us to do for some time now," said Garry Rowe, president of the Suisun City BID. "Waterfront District merchants said they needed more visibility from Highway 12, and this was one way we could start to accomplish that goal."

The sign will be clearly visible to the tens of thousands of daily Highway 12, and should end the age old complaint that people drove clear through Suisun City without realizing they'd even been in the city. The massive paint job should be completed by Friday.

The emblem on the water tank will be that of the Waterfront District, a new identity for the Old Town/Downtown area that the Suisun City BID and the City are working hard to promote as a regional destination for high-quality dining across a number of cuisine choices.

Firefighters Hank Seguin, Greg Renucci & Nick Lott along with Engineer Gary Hall took Engine 247 south as part of a Type 1 strike team from Solano County assigned to structure protection. The crew will be deployed for 10 days, and may be reassigned to another fire burning across the arid hillsides of Southern California as the need arises.

This is the third set of races DJSA has run in Suisun City this year - a venue that has proven to be a favorite with the racers, complete with creative and colorful nicknames. >>All the race info can be found here.>>

This is a great chance to come discover everything going on in the Waterfront District, including the progress on the Hampton Inn & Suites hotel & Harbor Square - the dining, retail and office anchor at Main & Solano streets.

Monday, October 6, 2008

The Ranch is an excellent place to learn and appreciate the history of Solano County, and enjoy the natural wonders that surround us.

The "Hikin' the Bay" blog recently posted pictures and descriptions of the terrific hiking available on the Ranch. (Good news: Our little treasure is becoming a region favorite.)

Offering sweeping vistas of upland hills and the Suisun Marsh, the Ranch's three hiking trails offer varied terrain and degrees of difficulty to suit just about any trekker.

If you've never been to The Ranch, or if it's been a while, you'll want to go on the 3rd Saturday of the month when they have blacksmithing demonstrations and hay-wagon rides from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They also offer a guided nature walk starting at 9 a.m.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

For nearly 20 years, Ken Woods has volunteered as a firefighter for the Suisun City Fire Department while working his "day job" at the state Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau.

Not only did his volunteer training help him rise to the rank of Battalion Chief in the Suisun City department (which is still a volunteer command post), he was recently hired to be the full-time, paid Fire Chief of the Humboldt #1 Fire Protection District, outside Eureka.

We always say that our volunteers are just as good, if not better, than many paid career firefighters. Ken just proved it by coming in at the top rank!

We're going to miss Ken here in Suisun City, but Humboldt is getting a top-notch professional to lead their fire department! We couldn't be prouder!

Audrey Wong of the Daily Republic has a story posted on the paper's website that starts like this:

SUISUN CITY - Ken Woods loves firefighting so much he worked as a firefighter for nearly 20 years without earning a dime.

All those years have led to Woods, 48, earning the rank of battalion chief, a volunteer position, in the Suisun City Fire Department.

'It's a real sense of helping the community because I live here and care about my neighbors,' Woods said. 'I can directly contribute to their well-being and make a difference in their lives in a situation where they're going through a rough time. I can affect their lives in a positive way.'

Woods will have new neighbors later this month, however. He has accepted the position of chief in the Humboldt Fire Protection District near Eureka and will begin the job Oct. 20.

In addition to leaving the Suisun City department, Woods is retiring after 27 years with the state Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau.